Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Review: Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg

Location (my 2014 Google Reading map): WisconsinFTC Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my school librarySummary (from the inside flap of the book): For Macallan and Levi, it was friends at first sight. Everyone says guys and girls can't e just friends, but these two are. They hang out after school, share tons of inside jokes, their families are super close, and Levi even starts dating one of Macallan's friends. They are platonic and happy that way.

Eventually they realize they're best friends--which wouldn't be so bad if they didn't keep getting in each other's way. Guys won't ask Macallan out because they think she's with Levi, and Levi spends too much time joking around with Macallan and maybe not enough time with his date. They can't help but wonder...are they more than friends or are they better off without making it even more complicated?

Review: This was a fun and fast read and perfect for summer! I really enjoyed Levi and Macallan's friendship as one of my best friends from high school is a guy friends so I can relate to the easy banter the two characters share and how much they care about one another. I like to think that thirty years after high school Levi and Macallan will still be great friends as I am with my buddy.

The author totally got the high school stuff right with sports, friends, arguments, misunderstandings, and desires. We all want to be liked, to have friends, do well at our chosen activity (in the character's cases, music and sports) and to figure out what the heck is going on. The book is told in alternating voices so we hear the story of Levi and Macallan's friendship from both sides as they sit together somewhere recounting their history. They are brutally honest about family, friends, their fears, their fights, and how it all made them feel.

All in all a fun read with no awful anything, which was quite a relief from the past few books that I've read.

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About Me...

I taught History and Government for 14 years, and was a Teacher Librarian for 4. I am now a Social Studies and Technology Integration Coach for my district. I love to read, do photography, play with technology, and travel!